This is it
by fmfan1980
Summary: My take on an alternate ending for the episode, 'The Gift'. Told from Dawn's POV. Pure One-Shot. Warning: Character Death.
**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters, locations or plots from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. This is just a work of fiction which has only been able to come into being because of the universe that Mr. Whedon's created.

This is it, the beginning of the end as blood from the slices cut into my skin by Doc flow down my body. I see my sister throwing him off the narrow platform that's jutting out from the top of the tower and then running to me. She tells me that everything is going to be all right, that I'm safe.

But I feel differently.

I don't know why I feel differently; I just know that I do.

I look into my sister's eyes as she unties me, and then grabs my arm and we run on the platform to its end on the tower. We run to the stairs that lead to the bottom of the tower, and it's then that the hairs on the back of my neck stand up.

"Buffy," I say as I turn my sister around. We watch the creation of the portal that is opening up because of me. Because of who I am.

The Key.

In the wrong hands, the ultimate weapon of destruction.

And someone who used to work for the wrong hands just activated me.

Hell has come to this world; hell has come to Earth, and it's my fault. I looked at the cuts on my dress, that went go down to my skin. I look at the blood, and then look up when I hear the sounds of thunder. Me and my sister see lighting strike the ground below us to open a chasm, we could hear screams from all over the city as lightning struck even more areas. I couldn't tell what was happening, but if the dragon that just came out of the portal, and flew past us was any indication, then it was going to be very bad.

I turned to my sister, and my heart fell when I saw the fear in her eyes.

My sister, the strongest person I've ever known, although I'll never tell her that, was afraid.

"Buffy?" I hear myself say when the expression on her face suddenly turned to one of realization, and then to peace. I knew my sister; I knew what she was about to do.

"We share the same blood, Dawn."

That's what she told me weeks ago, that we have the same blood; I was made with her blood, Summers blood.

Back on the platform, I look at her with my eyes wide open before I push past her. Before I can take another step, she grabs my arm and pushes me back.

"What are you doing!" she asks me over the sound of thunder.

"The blood, Buffy," I tell her while my heart beats faster, "it needs the blood."

"Listen to me," said Buffy as she put both of her hands on my shoulders. She was telling me something, I was sure of it. I saw her lips moving with periodic words coming into my ears. I knew what she wanted to do, what she'd always do for me.

What she would always do out of love.

A sacrifice.

She would do it, so that I live.

But I know she cannot jump, she must not jump.

My sister is the Slayer, and without a Slayer to keep the forces of darkness at bay, the world is doomed. I know about Faith, I know that she cannot help since she is in prison… and I'm pretty sure that the Council will have her killed once they realize that Buffy's gone. I can't let that that happen. My sister, Buffy Summers, cannot die for me; the world needs her far more than the world needs me.

I'm expendable, she's not.

"Buffy!" I scream at her to shut her up. I put my hand on her cheeks while she looks at me, "promise me something! Promise me!"

"What!" I heard Buffy shouting at me over the sounds of lightning strikes, screams, and the thunder.

"Live, for me," I tell her as she opens her eyes wide just before I head-butt her; the experiencing was jarring for me just as I am sure it was for her as she stepped back while holding her forehead, just I am. But she has already let go of me, and I take my chance. I run past Buffy, and I continue running while I hear the sound of my sister running behind me.

Just a few seconds more until the edge before I turn and jumped backwards into the open air. Everything has slowed for me as I looked at my sister between my already fast heartbeats. I see her reaching for me, but my arms are by my side.

I am in the air.

"I love you," I tell my screaming sister as I fall in slow motion. I feel myself falling as I look over my shoulder at the horrified faces of the ones below.

Through my flying hair I see Spike, Tara, Willow, Giles, Anya, and Xander. I see them looking up in horror. I see Tara, and her hand is over her mouth; I see Willow raising her hand to cast a spell, but it is already too late.

I know I'm going to miss them all.

I don't know if they will ever remember me, but I hope that they do.

I can see that I'm close to the portal, so I look back up at the anguished face of my sister as she's lying down on the platform that is jutting out of the tower. I know there is only one time to send a message to Buffy, so I scream with what breath remains in my lungs.

"Live!" I scream at the top of my voice just before entering the portal.

And I felt it. The pain, the excruciating pain as lighting invaded my body. I could feel it go through my muscles, and though my veins, to my organs, to my nervous system, through every atom of my being while I tried to hold on to my scream.

I did not want to be afraid, although I was terrified.

Then it happened.

I felt the lighting go through my soul.

'Do I even have a soul.'

It was then that I smelled strawberries in the air, and I was suddenly standing underneath the edge of the platform that is hanging several feet in the air. I look up at the closing portal, and then I see my dead body crashing onto the ground. The eyes remained open while the head of the body was turned looking directly at me.

It was unnerving to see my own body looking at me, but I tell myself I did the right thing.

I hear screams as Giles is the first one to my body, the man sobbed as he cradled what remains of me. I see Xander and a shocked Anya just looking horrified at what just happened; I see Spike on the ground sobbing as he covered his eyes. And then I see Willow and Tara, both of them horrified as Willow turned away from my body and hugged Tara. Tara, who is still looking at my body with her tear stained face, is just shaking her head, and then I see Buffy as she stumbles down the stairs. She pushes past Xander and Anya, Willow and Tara, and then she got down on her knees while reaching for my body. Giles gingerly hands her my body, and she cradles it before releasing a scream into the night sky.

I am really dead.

I look at my sister as a tingling sensation goes through my body. I look at my hands, and I can see them vanishing.

I can feel myself being pulled into the ether and I wonder to myself if I'll be remembered after I'm gone.

'Goodbye, Buffy. Live, my sister.'

While my body continues to fade, I take in the smell of strawberries again, and now I hear footsteps behind me. Turning around I see a red haired woman looking back at me, and all I can wonder if this is the grim reaper come to take me away. She looks at me with a smile, a soft smile that sends warmth through my body.

And I know that everything will be alright.

Nodding at the woman, I look back at my sister.

With everything turning dark as the woman lay her hand on my shoulder, my last thought to Buffy is, 'remember me.'

The End.


End file.
